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TikTok Goes Dark In The U.S. As Shutdown Takes Effect; Gaza Ceasefire Set To Take Effect At 8:30AM Local; Trump Expected To Sign Slew of Executive Orders On Day One; Evacuation Orders Lifted As Containment Improves. Aired 12a-1a ET

Aired January 19, 2025 - 00:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[00:00:33]

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

BEN HUNTE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello. Whether you're in the United States or elsewhere in the world, you are now in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Ben Hunte in Atlanta, and it is so good to have you with me.

TikTok has now gone dark in the U.S., actually going offline shortly before a ban was slated to go into effect.

Let's take a look at the TikTok homepage now. A message says, sorry, TikTok isn't available right now. A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S. unfortunately, that means you can't use TikTok for now.

The big question is what is going to happen next? One hundred and seventy million American users could see the service return as soon as Monday, when Donald Trump takes office. The president elect says he will, quote, most likely delay a ban on TikTok for 90 days. But he has not yet made that final decision.

The app did threaten to go offline on Sunday unless the Biden administration assured the company there would be no punishment for violations. The White House called the warning a stunt and said the issue now belongs to Trump.

Obviously, I want to dig straight into this story, so let's now go to CNN's chief media analyst, Brian Stelter, in New York.

Brian, thank you so much for being back with me.

This caught all of us off guard. One minute I was scrolling through on my phone, I'll see it on TikTok and then bam, the app was telling me to close it down. Why do you think team TikTok cut access so early?

BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: Because TikTok users are now unwittingly in the middle of a dramatic negotiation between the American and Chinese governments. What makes this even wilder is that the American government hasn't taken power yet, right? This -- this law was signed into effect by President Biden. It is being enacted under the Biden administration. But Biden wants nothing to do with this. I checked in tonight, overnight with the White House official. They

essentially say this is Donald Trump's problem now. They want the incoming president to deal with this. And they believe Trump is going to make a deal with the Chinese in spite of this American law that so many Republican lawmakers passed last year.

So this is this extraordinary situation in some ways, a standoff between TikTok and the American government at the very moment, the very holiday weekend when the American government is changing hands, when power is being transferred. So that is why the TikTok app is dark right now. But in 48 hours, it will probably come back alive.

HUNTE: I like your positivity there. It's interesting. Okay, well, there was talk that TikTok may not even cut access at all. Some people said they may just hold out for Trump coming in on Monday. So what does happen now?

STELTER: So what happened? My sense from TikTok sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, is that they were under pressure from all the service providers that make TikTok function. You know, think about it when you're using an app on your phone, it's not just the company that makes the app that's involved, it's also the cloud computing services, the software, the networks, the web servers that actually run the app.

We're talking about companies like Amazon and Oracle that provide the server space. We're talking about Apple and Google that run the App Stores. And my impression from TikTok sources is that some of these service providers, some of these in-betweens, were concerned they might be legally liable if they allow TikTok to be online in the United States, starting right now, starting at 12:00 a.m. Eastern Time in the U.S.

Now, the Biden administration said, go ahead, leave it up. We don't care. We're not going to enforce the law. But apparently, those messages from the Biden administration were not enough. And by doing this dramatic blackout, by -- by having TikTok go dark, think about what TikTok is doing right. They are empowering and mobilizing and encouraging their users to pressure the government to pressure Trump to get this resolved. This feels to me like one of the most dramatic ways to on the part of TikTok to pressure action to be taken.

HUNTE: I think you're right about that, because just looking at that statement where they say we are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a resolution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office. Please stay tuned.

I mean, that's a lot of pressure to be applying. I was just talking to my producer before this, saying that surely there's going to be a lot of young people seeing this political news for the first time, trying to come to a sense that the president could save the app that they love so much.

[00:05:06]

Isn't that a bit crazy? STELTER: This has been a political awakening for many Americans in

the, you know, around. And take a look at this statement from TikTok to its employees. I obtained this internal memo that also calls out President-elect Trump. It says, a look at this statement from TikTok to its employees. I obtained this internal memo that also calls out President-elect Trump. It says, we know this blackout is disappointing, but we are fortunate that president Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office.

So that is the internal word to TikTok employees saying, don't worry about this. This is temporary. We're going to get this app back online.

HUNTE: Yes, indeed. That's some juicy reporting there, Brian. We appreciate it. Thank you so much for that.

Brian Stelter, appreciate it. We're going to come to you later, I'm sure. Thank you.

Let's keep this going. Joining us now is elementary school teacher and TikTok influencer Jere Chang.

Jere, thank you so much for being with me. How are you doing?

JERE CHANG, TIKTOK INFLUENCER: I'm doing okay. Thanks for having me, Ben.

HUNTE: Well, I'm glad you're doing okay, because surely your entire livelihood is based on TikTok, so maybe we can start from the beginning. Tell me about how you use TikTok. And how did you build up your following?

CHANG: Yeah, that was a lie. I'm not doing well at all. I downloaded TikTok when I lost my parents in 2020, and I was grieving really hard. Yeah, and I started laughing and enjoying the app. And I stumbled upon teacher TikTok, and I was like, wait a minute. I'm learning some stuff. I'm becoming a better teacher, implementing things in my classroom, something as simple as technology.

And then I was like, whoa, maybe I could do this. Within six months, I had 200,000 followers. Now I'm up to over 2 million. I've spent the past four years building this community of parents and educators across the country, across the world that I connect with. And it's just gone.

HUNTE: Some teachers have talked to me about how much they hate smartphones and smartwatches and social media. They tell me that they struggle to teach because of TikTok, and how young people's attention spans and reading abilities have been massively impacted by the app, so a lot of them are potentially celebrating this ban and seeing this news on CNN like, yay! But what would you say to them?

CHANG: I mean, absolutely not. I mean, yes, our cell phones in the classroom and issue. Yes, that's a bigger problem. You know, being on TikTok in school and things like that. But there are so many good things that are happening on the app. I

mean, an hour long training that I may attend, I could get in 60s. I'm an older teacher, I'm in my 50s, so keeping up with technology, A.I., all the advancements in education I get from young teachers on TikTok. A lessons, technology, all kinds of things that people have sent me.

I've had my followers send me gifts for my students in my classroom, decorations, books, all kinds of stuff, all from TikTok. There's a lot of good things that are happening on the app. I've become a motivational speaker. I got a book deal, its coming out next year, and all this started from TikTok.

HUNTE: Yes.

CHANG: It's way beyond, just like dancing in the hallways and doing the latest. Now I know all that stuff too. It helps me stay connected to my students, you know? And yes, are there bad elements of any social media app? Absolutely.

Should cell phones like, you know, be discussed more in schools and not be allowed, like in the classroom? Absolutely. There's so many good things happening on the app within the realm of education.

HUNTE: Well, the big question is, is this actually the end of TikTok? I don't know if you gamble. I don't make some bets, but I want you to make a bet for me. Now, is this the end?

CHANG: I'm trying to hang on to hope. I am like a very positive influencer. People rely on me. Ive had people all over the country, young teachers like you're the positive one, I need you, I need you. I'm trying to hold on to the hope.

And when I open the app, well, I guess like an hour ago and it was just like, no. And I was like, what do you mean, no? I was holding on to all the hope. I still have hope. That's what keeps me going.

Everybody's on the other apps now. Crying and crying together. My DMs are blowing up. My texts are blowing up. What are we going to do? What are we going to do? And I'm like, there's still hope.

I actually called my senators for the first time in my life last week. I hate the phone. I do not like to talk to people on the phone. I call them both and I talk to real people like, hey, can y'all do what you need to do to save TikTok?

HUNTE: Well, this is this is good. You're getting politically involved. I like it, but surely, absolutely, surely. One of the big questions here is if people are relying on TikTok for their livelihoods, you've got a literal financial link to this decision that's being taken now.

Are you not a bit worried that if this goes on and on and on, this is your income that's being affected? Is it? Does this not almost tempt you to disappear from social media and do something that is less reliant on something you're not in control of?

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CHANG: Absolutely. I will take a huge financial hit. I mean, I'm a teacher. I'm one of the fortunate creators. I do have a stable income.

I'm on vacation right now in a hotel with my family, and I told my kids before I came down to do this interview that we were talking about summer vacations, and I was like, oh, were going to have to put the brakes on.

I'm going to have to re-budget. I don't know, right? Like, I mean, it's definitely like, I don't know what's going to happen. I don't know how this is going to affect our income. So those little trips we were going to go on this summer, you know, were going to have to hold off a little bit until I -- it's more predictable.

HUNTE: Well, don't cancel it just too soon because in a few hours it may all change again.

Jere Chang, it's been real. Thank you so much for joining me. Really enjoyed that. I'm definitely going to be speaking to you again soon.

CHANG: Thanks, Ben. My pleasure.

HUNTE: Thank you.

Let's keep it going. Were going live now to San Francisco, where I'm joined by Abrar Al-Heeti, technology reporter for CNET.

Hello. How are you doing?

ABRAR AL-HEETI, TECHNOLOGY REPORTER, CNET: I'm doing well. How are you?

HUNTE: I'm good, I'm good. Thank you for joining me.

AL-HEETI: Of course.

HUNTE: I want to know, can TikTok be saved? It's the big question everyone's going to be asking.

AL-HEETI: TikTok can be saved. It feels very doomsday right now. But, you know, Donald Trump has gone back and forth on this. He was initially the person who wanted to ban TikTok, and that didn't end up happening. In the end, the court struck it down.

But what he said now is that he's determined to save it. It helped him during the election. He likes TikTok now. It's -- hopefully, there's still a chance here. There's a possibility that he could issue an executive order. There's also a possibility that he could issue a 90- day delay of the law. If he says that a divestment is underway, so the ball really falls in his court right now.

HUNTE: But should that even really happen? I mean, I'm from the U.K. I moved over to the U.S. this week. What a week.

I'm confused about the fact that so many governments around the world have put some kind of ban on TikTok. My producer was telling me just before this, I think it's 14 countries that have put some kind of ban on TikTok's practices in their nations. In the U.S., you've got government workers that can't have TikTok on their phones. In the U.K., its exactly the same. And this happened many, many months ago, potentially years ago.

I mean, is this something that should be undone?

AL-HEETI: There's a very real national security concern among a lot of lawmakers, even just ordinary citizens, right? I think the other piece of it is people say, well, what's the difference between TikTok and Instagram or Facebook or any other social media that we use? A lot of that data is still being gleaned by other companies, but they are not China based companies. And that's again, that that distinction there.

And so the concern about privacy and security and ensuring that, you know, there isn't disinformation on TikTok is real, but I think people are waiting to see where's the proof? Where's proof that data has been used against American citizens to sway their algorithms and then sway the way that they think? So that's really the thing that people have been saying now is, what's the difference between TikTok and everybody else? And where's the proof in all of this concern?

HUNTE: And I think, well, on that point, you've got people flocking to these other apps that are also either Chinese owned or at least aligned in some way with data being uploaded and used in China.

So is the concern not extending to these other apps as well? What can you tell me about that?

AL-HEETI: I mean, that's what's really interesting, right? So when people found out that TikTok was likely to shut down and has now shut down, they flocked to another app called RedNote. And this is another China based app.

It is not owned by ByteDance. It is not owned by TikTok's parent company. But it's still based in China. And people went there not only to look for a TikTok replacement, but also as an act of protest, of saying we don't care if China gets our data, we just don't want to go on Instagram, which is kind of a very funny reaction.

And so, but the thing to keep in mind there is RedNote also collects your location data and your browsing and your IP addresses, but so does, you know, Instagram for example, right?

But then the difference between RedNote and a U.S. based app is there's going to be more censorship on there as well, because it's based in China. So there has been a very interesting reaction there and very interesting interactions between U.S. users and Chinese users on RedNote, because in China itself, TikTok is banned too. They have their own app called Douyin, which is their version of TikTok.

HUNTE: What can you tell me about what TikTok is doing to support creators? We just spoke to Jere Chang. There, and I mean, she is clearly going through it saying that she's going to be having to cancel holidays because she's not sure what her income stream is going to be like. Now that TikTok is in this very weird space.

Surely TikTok, in supporting its creator economy, should be doing more, or at least telling them the app was going to go down in the first place?

AL-HEETI: Yeah, it's very difficult because TikTok has really been talking about the impact on creators, right? So when we found out about this ban really potentially going into effect, they highlighted the fact that small businesses and creators were at risk of losing $1 billion in revenue. That's billion with a B, right.

So, you know, that was such a focal point for them. And so now I think it's up to them to say, okay, well, you know, if you really care about those creators, how are you going to prove it?

[00:15:02]

I think you bring up a really good point there. But yeah, it's not just the everyday users, but it's people where this is a source of income for them. It's not just about community, but it's about their livelihood.

HUNTE: Give me your prediction and what is happening next.

AL-HEETI: You know what? I like the idea of staying optimistic. I think -- I think it's possible. It's really hard to predict what happens. But I do think it is possible that Trump holds true to that idea of keeping TikTok alive.

It seems like TikTok is hopeful, at least, because even in their pop up, they mentioned that they were working with the Trump administration.

HUNTE: Yes.

AL-HEETI: So I'm going to also be optimistic and I'm going to maintain that. But it really is anyone's guess. I don't think we ever expected to be here right now. I never expected to open up my TikTok app and say that it see that it wasn't working.

HUNTE: Wild times are going to get more wild. So thank you so much. Abrar Al-Heeti, we appreciate it. Thank you for being with me.

AL-HEETI: Thank you for having me.

HUNTE: So welcome. The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas is scheduled to begin in just over an hour. Yes, it is all happening today. How it's expected to play out and what it means for everyone involved, next on CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HUNTE: The Israel-Hamas ceasefire is due to begin just over an hour from now at 8:30 a.m. local time.

[00:20:05] Hundreds of aid trucks at the Rafah border crossing right now ready to enter Gaza, as soon as the fighting stops. Under the agreement, Hamas is to release three hostages on Sunday. Israel is to release 95 Palestinians. It's been holding prisoner. Each side will release more in the coming weeks.

In Tel Aviv, demonstrators were on the streets on Saturday night calling for an end to the war. Also on Saturday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed Israel, saying he is committed to getting all of the hostages back home.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): The cabinet and government have approved the plan for the return of our captives. This is a war goal we will not relent on until it is completed. The agreement is also the result of cooperation between Israel and the outgoing administration of President Biden, as well as the incoming administration of President Trump. We maintain the right to return to war if necessary, with the backing of the United States.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: Israeli troops are preparing for a gradual withdrawal from some parts of Gaza. The agreement calls for them to move to a buffer zone away from populated areas. Meanwhile, Palestinian civil defense is warning people that even if the troops are gone, the areas might not be safe.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAHMOUD BASAL, SPOKESPERSON, PALESTINIAN CIVIL DEFENSE (through translator): For those in Gaza City planning to return to northern Gaza, as well as those in southern areas heading toward Rafah or eastern regions along the border, we strongly urge caution. As is customary, Israeli forces often leave behind remnants of war in these areas, which, if disturbed, could result in fatal consequences.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: Well, Shlomi Eldar is an Israeli journalist and filmmaker. He's also the author of Hamas from social movement to war crimes. He's joining us now from Tel Aviv.

Let's dig into this. So the biggest news to me was Netanyahu's televised speech just hours before the ceasefire was due to start. He stressed that the ceasefire was, quote, temporary and Israel reserved the right to resume strikes in Gaza.

I mean, that surprised me. What are your thoughts on all of that and of what could be about to happen?

SHLOMI ELDAR, ISRAELI JOURNALIST AND FILMMAKER: Yes, sir. I must say that Netanyahu, after the deal is between a hard place -- between a rock and a hard place. He feels himself between the right wing government that is threatening him, that they, his coalition, will collapse and pushing President Trump, that pushing him to go forward with the deal. So Netanyahu must convince everyone that he go for the deal. But on his parties -- partners try to convince them that this is part of the agreement and he go forward in the war after the first -- the first release of the Israeli hostages.

HUNTE: Do you think that this ceasefire will hold? I know that's a big question. Everyone's going to be talking about it. But if it does hold, who will enforce it?

ELDAR: I think that everybody wants that the agreement will exist. The releasing of all the Israeli hostages from Gaza Strip, we are talking about 98 hostages that are still in Gaza.

But on the other side, there are ministers of Netanyahu's, the rightist government that ever had in Israel that don't accept this agreement. While Netanyahu promised them the great victory, the total victory and dealing with Hamas today is not the victory that he promised them. So that's what I mean when I said that Netanyahu plays the two parties, try to convince them.

I think that everything is clear now that Hamas says you'll get your hostages, that were taken from Israel on October the terrible, October 7th, if you withdraw from all of Gaza strip and Netanyahu's try to convince their partners that maybe he can find any things, any way to stay in Gaza to save the border of the Israeli Gaza border, to not give us any chance when Hamas will exist in Gaza strip and threaten again, Israel again.

HUNTE: Indeed, what does all of this mean for the future of the Palestinian Authority and for the Israeli government?

ELDAR: The Israeli authority, the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank will not enter to Gaza because Netanyahu's all the time. When we talk about the next days of the war, who will govern Gaza Strip?

[00:25:02]

And he stopped any, any talk that the authority, the Palestinian Authority will enter again to Gaza Strip while after the military coup that Hamas made in Gaza strip in 20 -- 2007. So we still stay with Hamas. Netanyahu promised his voters, the Israeli audience, that this war -- he eliminate Hamas, and the feeling now that after the deal with Hamas that Hamas will not eliminate it.

Unfortunately, really, the Israeli really believe that the war after a one year and four months that Hamas will collapse, that Hamas will not still exist in Gaza Strip, but this is the situation. Hamas will govern and will stay in Gaza Strip, try to recover, try to find out how to govern to, to, to, to be and stay in power in Gaza Strip, but it still remain in Gaza strip.

HUNTE: I want to talk team Trump. I hope that's okay with you. It took just over 15 months to reach this agreement and then, bam, here we are. How crucial was the incoming Trump administration in all of this? ELDAR: Yes. Without Trump -- it's very clear, without Trump

threatening Netanyahu to accept the deal, I think Netanyahu would not accept the deal now because his coalition, because he promised a total victory. Trump just said clearly, take it now. And Netanyahu took what we could be taken eight months ago.

So unfortunately, we lost lives. We lost soldiers lives, we lost hostages and many, many casualties in Gaza Strip. And we are in the same, same, the same point that we can be done about eight months ago.

HUNTE: There was a major push from the far right to stop this deal. What message is Netanyahu actually sending to his coalition with the deal that we've got?

ELDAR: Yes. The message to his coalition, by the way, one of his ministers, the Bezalel Smotrich, the finance minister, said that he got a promise from Netanyahu that Gaza will be made uninhabited, uninhabited.

First of all, I must say that is an outrageous statement. But Netanyahu say everything to his coalition just to be to remain in his position as a prime minister. So I'm not sure that he really wants that Gaza will be uninhabited in the next month because, as we said, we have Trump that pushing to go forward with the deal. But he must promise to his coalition that he is taking Gaza to a war and a deal, releasing the hostages.

This is a game, the political game that Netanyahu plays with his government, with his partners, in his government, the rightist government that ever had in Israel since it was established.

HUNTE: Well, I just learned a lot from that. I really appreciate it. Shlomi Eldar live in Tel Aviv, thank you.

This is a night of breaking news. We're going to keep on going. We'll be back with more news in just a moment. You are watching CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:32:15]

HUNTE: In the U.S., TikTok is now offline as a shutdown over Chinese ties goes into effect. A notice from the app giant says sorry, TikTok isn't available right now. A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S. unfortunately, that means you can't use TikTok for now.

There's also a reference to Donald Trump and how he will help the social media service return online. American users could regain access, though, as soon as Monday when Donald Trump takes over in the White House. The president elect says he will, quote, most likely delay a ban on TikTok for 90 days, but no final decision has been made yet.

Earlier, the app threatened to go down on Sunday unless the Biden administration made assurances there would be no punishment for violations. The White House called the warning just a stunt and said this was Trump's problem now.

Let's dig into this a little bit more as we're joining Kaya Yurieff. She is a reporter for "The Information".

Kaya, you're with me earlier. Let's just talk about, again the fact that this app was cut so soon. We were talking about this for days and even weeks ahead of now, expecting that something might happen. We didn't really know what was going to happen, and then suddenly, bam. No more access in the U.S.

Why do you think it happened so soon?

KAYA YURIEFF, REPORTER, THE INFORMATION: I think everyone from TikTok's own employees to creators to merchants who sell on TikTok shop, everyone was hoping that there would be some last minute Hail Mary, that maybe the Supreme Court would come in last minute and overturn the law. But the reality is this deadline has been the case for eight months, and I think there just was disbelief that it would really happen.

HUNTE: What is TikTok hoping for at this point? I mean, why is it that the app hasn't just done what the government said it wanted? Surely with all of this warning, they could have just done something, right?

YURIEFF: Yeah. I mean, TikTok would be in a very different position if Kamala Harris was elected. I think Trump is a primary for TikTok, and they are hoping that he will be able to help them, whether its via executive order, whether they'll be able to broker some sort of deal with the Trump administration.

Of course, this is still a law, bipartisan law that was very popular, went through Congress very quickly. So it is a question of what he can do. But they do still have that hope that they can work something out with the new administration.

HUNTE: Yeah. I mean, I've just been scrolling through on social media and seeing on other apps that have not been taken down, and people are saying that there's hope, and even TikTok is saying there's hope. President-elect Trump is going to come in and save the day.

Do you think that's going to happen?

YURIEFF: I don't know, because he has really limited options, right? Like, yes, he can try to use the executive order. But the problem is that will be very quickly challenged in court.

[00:35:03]

So it's a question of whether he can really get that extension. And it's going to be sort of this back and forth. He might do the executive order. Will TikTok go back up for a day and then go back down? We don't really know what's going to happen.

I mean, what he can do is convince TikTok to sell, right? Like if -- if TikTok sells, then the app is back up, right? That's what happens. There's nothing permanent about this deadline. That's what we have to remember.

HUNTE: How easy is that, though? How easy is it to just sell an app like this? I mean, I'm just coming to terms with the fact that when I was working for Google, for instance, I was seeing multiple parts of the business and lots of different parts of the world.

But all of these employees under one brand name, right under Google. So if TikTok was to just split up, then surely people would have to renegotiate contracts, you would have different offices like all of this, even though were just saying they just need to sell it.

YURIEFF: It's extremely complicated, and that's something that TikTok's lawyer argued before the Supreme Court. I was in the room last Friday when the justices heard the case from TikTok, who really tried to fight the First Amendment fight, which did not land with the justices. But that's what TikTok's lawyer said.

I mean, TikTok still operates all over the world. Of course, their parent company is ByteDance, and they have, you know, engineering talent all over the world. So it is very, very difficult under any time frame, the TikTok lawyer said. So it wasn't just that within the time frame that the law allowed. But he said in any time frame it would be very hard for them to sell.

Of course, ByteDance and TikTok have maintained throughout this process that they are not interested in selling. But, you know, Trump, Trump is the ultimate deal maker, as he says. So, you know, maybe there is some sort of deal that they can work out.

HUNTE: We will soon find out. Kaya Yurieff, thank you so much for joining me. I'm sure were going to speak again very, very soon.

Let's go now to CNN's Marc Stewart, who is live in Beijing.

Let's keep this going. Marc, you there.

MARC STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Ben. Good to see you.

HUNTE: Good to see you, too. Thank you for being with me.

Obviously, every single Western media outlet is covering this right now. I'm looking at my screen. I'm seeing everyone talking about TikTok.

But you're in Asia. Tell me, has there been much reaction there?

STEWART: Well, it is getting coverage. I was curious about that when I woke up this morning. If this shutdown were indeed to take place, how would Chinese state media report it?

Well, it is being reported. The suspension, the shutdown of TikTok is getting some coverage from Chinese state media, from the large television network, as well as -- as well as from Xinhua, which is the state news agency. They are reporting it.

But as far as any additional lines about what government officials are saying, we're not getting that right now. There is perhaps a chance later in the day we may get a little bit more insight from the government, from the government view on all of this.

But looking at the past few weeks, it's not something that the ministry of foreign affairs here has been eager to react to. I asked a question maybe about a week or so ago. It's a question that comes up often during daily briefings, and instead the government is saying we stand by our previous statements, statements saying that the United States has been acting like a bully and that it does not respect free markets, and that there's no evidence of any kind of national security concerns or lapses.

That's -- that's the big talking points that we've been getting. As we look ahead, perhaps, we will hear more, especially after a phone call that we know that took place between President-elect Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. As the president-elect told CNN, TikTok did come up in the conversation.

But it's interesting, Ben, if we look at the reporting here in China, there is no mention of TikTok during that specific phone call.

HUNTE: Very interesting. I mean, it's not just TikTok though, right? People are flocking to other apps and some of these other apps that are apparently, like TikTok are also either Chinese owned or their data is potentially being intercepted or being used in China as well.

So tell me about these other apps that people are running to.

STEWART: So the app that's getting a lot of attention among American users is called Xiaohongshu. Xiaohongshu is how you say it in Mandarin. That translates to RedNote.

And it's kind of similar. I think its kind of a stretch to say its an exact replica of TikTok. Some people say that there are some Instagram attributes to it, but it has just through this phenomenon, been getting American users.

[00:40:00]

But Americans are also feeling a bit frustrated because on that Chinese app, they too are noticing some of the censorship that a lot of the apps here in China do see. Social media here is heavily censored, even on the search engines, even on the topics. There are just some topics that the government views to be very sensitive that you will not see on these Chinese apps.

So that's happening because I always find this people find this interesting. You know, I have an American phone I can access Instagram, I can access X, Facebook, I can do a Google search. But on my Chinese phone, that's not possible.

I have an American SIM card in this phone, and I'm able to access things, but otherwise I here in China, the electronic firewall, the electronic censorship is very much a part of people's lives. So we have this free speech debate that TikTok has even raised in the United States. Yet here in China, the censorship ban is extremely heavy. HUNTE: Yes, indeed. I mean, I've got a UK phone. Obviously, I've

jumped over to the U.S. this week and I was fully expecting I was going to be able to access TikTok regardless of what happened here.

But nope, I think I got the app. The notification is one of the first people so very surprising there.

But thank you, Marc. We appreciate it. I'm sure we'll be speaking very, very soon.

We are just one day away from Donald Trump's inauguration, and the plans continue to shift as organizers face extremely cold weather. More on what to expect on Monday, coming next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:45:44]

HUNTE: Welcome back.

Donald Trump arrived in Washington on Saturday to kick off days of inauguration events. He held a special celebration at his golf club, including a fireworks show. There was also a cabinet reception and a vice presidential dinner. Trump says he plans to get to work very quickly.

CNN's Alayna Treene has more on what to expect after he's sworn in.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: President-elect Donald Trump and his team are planning a slate of executive orders to be issued on his first day in office, some of which, I'm told are actually expected to be signed by him immediately after being sworn in at the Capitol Rotunda, but then more as well to be issued later in the day.

Now, one of the biggest issues that some of these early orders are going to be focused on, I'm told, is all about immigration. Now, Donald Trump has promised repeatedly throughout his time on the campaign trail to try and round up illegal immigrants in this country and deport them. And that's exactly what some of this early action is going to look like.

We're told that you should expect ICE raids through major metropolitan cities, sweeps through cities like Washington, D.C., Chicago and Denver. And Donald Trump actually addressed some of this in an interview with NBC on Saturday.

He said, essentially, that he wants to begin very early, very quickly with some of these actions and some of these cities, but wouldn't say exactly where.

Now, some of the other actions, were told, related to immigration, as well as Donald Trump and his team are considering a national emergency declaration to try and free up some of the resources from the Pentagon to be sent to the southern border, as well as looking at different asylum restrictions and really rolling back some of what Joe Biden has done, some of which, of course, was him undoing what Donald Trump had done during his first time in office.

Now, we did hear from one of Donald Trump's advisers on Saturday, speaking with CNN's Jessica Dean, really walking through some of this action that is expected to be taken.

Take a listen.

JASON MILLER, SENIOR ADVISER TO PRESIDENT-ELECT TRUMP: When you go back to the campaign trail, what President Trump would talk about is that local law enforcement really knows where the criminal illegals are. And so partnering up with local law enforcement to make sure that we go and target the folks who are the really bad actors, we're talking the transnational gang members. We're talking the people that we know that are criminal illegals that are here in this country, that, quite frankly, are a danger to society.

TREENE: Now, you heard Miller tell Jessica there that really one of the big focuses is going to be on targeting illegal immigrants who have committed crimes in this country. That is definitely a big focus, I'm told, for Donald Trump on day one.

But not all of those early executive orders are going to be focused on immigration. I'm told there's also going to be some orders focused on trade and the economy, as well as energy.

So, a lot that Donald Trump is planning to do on day one, just shortly after being sworn in.

Alayna Treene, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: We have breaking news regarding the Israel-Hamas ceasefire. A statement from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he's told the Israeli military that the cease fire will not begin until Israel has received the names of hostages that Hamas will release.

Stay with CNN for instant updates on this breaking story.

Meanwhile, a South Korean court has extended President Yoon Suk Yeol's detention for up to 20 days, citing concerns Mr. Yoon may destroy evidence relating to his insurrection case. Sunday's court ruling sparked violent protests. Hundreds of supporters stormed the court in the middle of the night, smashing windows and assaulting police officers, according to local reports.

President Yoon is facing a criminal probe into his short lived declaration of martial law last month. He's the first sitting South Korean president to be arrested. The embattled president has already been impeached and stripped of his powers.

We'll be back with more news in just a moment. You are watching CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [00:53:27]

HUNTE: About 41,000 people were still affected by evacuation orders in Los Angeles as of Saturday. That's down more than 170,000 at the height of the wildfires. Containment has improved for the Eaton and Palisades Fires, now at 73 percent and 43 percent, respectively.

In Santa Monica, all curfews and evacuation warnings have been lifted, and the Pacific Coast Highway and local streets are now open and accessible. But in some areas of the county, a curfew is still in effect from 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m., and as conditions on the ground improve in Los Angeles, many are now faced with what to do in the aftermath of the devastation.

CNN's Julia Vargas Jones has more from Altadena.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: More than ten days after both the Eaton Fire and the Palisades Fires started, in some areas that were previously under evacuation are now open to residents.

Still, 41,000 people across L.A. County under these evacuation orders and warnings. But in Santa Monica, some good news the Pacific Coast Highway is open to local traffic and all curfews and evacuation warnings are now lifted as these residents begin to come home or to what's left of their homes, many will need help to rebuild, sometimes entire neighborhoods.

Governor Gavin Newsom announcing on Saturday that five major lenders will provide a 90 day grace period on mortgage payments for California wildfire victims. That kind of assistance is coming not just from government and from neighbors, people helping each other, but also institutions that are beloved by Angelinos like the L.A. Dodgers and other sports teams that together raised more than $8 million for both victims and frontline workers.

[00:55:15]

And on Friday had an event where they gave out essential items to families that were in those evacuation areas. We caught up with one of them.

JENNIFER SIEFERT, LOS ANGELES RESIDENT: The kids, their schools burned down, Little League burned down, Altadena musical theater burned down. My business creativity used to do all my festivals in Altadena because that's where I live, and that's where we raised our children. It's all gone. It's all gone.

JONES: How does it feel to not be able to be in your house and without standing?

SIEFERT: it's a really -- it's bizarre, actually, because it's a survivor. It's a survivors guilt.

JONES: And authorities are saying that families like Jennifer's might be able to come back to look at their properties and survey any damage as early as next Thursday.

Julia Vargas Jones, CNN, Altadena.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: Thousands marched in Washington, D.C., on Saturday to protest against Donald Trump and his policies. Demonstrators walked past the White House and onto the National Mall, waving signs and chanting. Some wore the pink hats seen at previous anti-Trump marches, though turnout at Saturday's people march was smaller than the women's March in 2017. More protests are planned for this weekend and for the inauguration day.

Well, that's all I've got for you for this hour, but it's been real, so let's do it again. I'm Ben Hunte in Atlanta. I'll be right back with more CNN NEWSROOM after this quick break. See you in a bit.